The winning painting in this year's RBC Painting Competition is In the Morning by Amanda Boulos of Toronto.
The winner of this year’s RBC Canadian Painting Competition for promising new artists is Amanda Boulos, for her 2017 work in oil on panel In the Morning.
The striking Goyaesque vision of bulls, body fragments and a floral centre struck the jury as “brave, nuanced and powerful,” according to a media statement.
Amanda Boulos.
The Toronto-based Boulos is a 2017 graduate of the University of Guelph master of fine arts program.
She uses the painting process to rework her Palestinian ancestors’ stories, and create new ones. “Reckoning with mythologies both personal and cultural," said the jury, "Boulos’s work is a vibrant approach to narrative painting and its history.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of a competition dedicated to providing not just awards to emerging visual artists, but mentorship, education and opportunities to showcase their talent.
For her winning painting, Boulos receives $25,000, along with a residency at Banff Centre for the Arts.
Honourable mentions worth $15,000 apiece were awarded to Edmonton-based Emmanuel Osahor and geetha thurairajah, a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.
Works of the competition’s 15 finalists will be on display at Toronto’s Power Plant to Sept. 30.
Brad Wheeler